Archives for 2022

NEW DELHI: The US President, Joe Biden, was the last to emerge for the photo op of the leaders at G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany, and as soon as he did that he walked over to greet Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, tapping him on the shoulder.

During the session that followed the photo-op, Investing in a better future: Climate, Energy and Health, PM Modi said that though India was home to 17 per cent of the world’s population it accounted for only 5 per cent of global carbon emissions.

“Seventeen per cent of the world’s population resides in India. But our contribution of global carbon emissions is only 5 per cent. The main reason behind this is our lifestyle, which is based on the theory of co-existence with nature,” PM Modi said.

Unfortunately, it is believed that there is a fundamental collision between the developmental goals of the world and environmental protection. 

“There is also another misconception that poor countries and poor people cause more damage to the environment,” PM Modi said adding that it was important to remember that access to energy shouldn’t be the privilege of just the rich.

“All of you will also agree that energy access should not be the privilege of the rich only – a poor family has the same rights on energy. And today when energy costs are sky-high due to geopolitical tensions, it is more important to remember this,” PM Modi said.

India has delivered LED bulbs and clean cooking gas door-to-door and showed millions of tons of carbon emissions can be prevented while ensuring energy for the poor.

In its endeavour to protect the environment India has achieved the target of generating 40 per cent of energy from non-fossil sources nine years ahead of the target of 2030, while the target of blending 10 per cent ethanol in petrol was achieved five months ahead of the target. 

“India has the world’s first fully solar-powered airport (Cochin) and its railway system will become net zero in this decade,” PM Modi said.

Meanwhile, PM Modi said the health of humans and the planet are interconnected, and this is why India had adopted the approach of “one world, one health”. During the Covid-19 pandemic, India found creative uses of digital technology for health, and the G7 countries can help India to take such innovations to developing countries.

Yoga and traditional medicines in many countries are assets that can be used for holistic health, Modi said, adding that WHO has decided to set up a global centre for traditional medicine in India. This centre will be a repository of traditional medicine systems from across the world and encourage research in this area.

Besides India, Indonesia, South Africa, Argentina and Senegal have been invited to the Summit. PM Modi met many leaders on the sidelines of the Summit.

In his interaction with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, PM Modi said that they discussed cooperation in key sectors like commerce and energy.

“We also had deliberations on furthering environment-friendly growth of our planet,” PM Modi added.
During his interaction with Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, PM Modi exchanged views on Indonesia’s forthcoming G20 presidency. 

PM Modi also had interactions with French President Emmanuel Macron, Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez and the President of South Africa.

During his meeting with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, PM Modi welcomed the WTO agreement that supports the production of Covid vaccines in developing countries.

PM Modi has been invited thrice to the G7 Summit since 2014. This is indicative of India’s emerging clout globally.

LUCKNOW: Film director and producer Ram Gopal Varma have been booked for making uncharitable remarks on NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, a police official said here on Monday.

Lucknow’s Police Commissioner DK Thakur said that a case was registered against Ram Gopal Varma for making indecent remarks against Droupadi Murmu in a tweet.

The case has been registered at Hazratganj police station on Sunday, he said.

In a tweet on June 22, Varma had said, “If Drapaudi is the President who are the Pandavas? And more importantly, who are the Kauravas?” In a tweet on June 24 he tried to clear his stand and said, “This was said just in an earnest irony and not intended in any other way… Draupadi in Mahabharata is my favourite character but since the name is such a rarity I just remembered the associated characters and hence my expression. Not at all intended to hurt sentiments of anyone.”

Subsequently on June 25, he made two tweets.

In the first tweet he said, “The tremendousness of this incredible icon the extremely honourable Drapaudi being president is that both Pandavas and Kauravas will forget their battle and together worship her and then Mahabharat will be rewritten in new India and the world will be proud of India… Jai BJP.”

“Post the extensive research I did on the honourable Draupadi ji and studying the nuances in the intensity of her eyes and the depths of both her smile and facial contours, I have no doubt that she will be the greatest president ever in the whole wide world…Thank you BJP,” he said in the second tweet.

New Delhi: Soon after the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more.

Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police on Monday for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets, officials said.

Gandhi alleged that every person exposing BJP’s hate and bigotry is a threat to the party, while noting that truth will prevail.

“Every person exposing BJP’s hate, bigotry and lies is a threat to them. Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more,” he said on Twitter.

“Truth always triumphs over tyranny,” the former Congress chief said, using the hashtag “#DaroMat”.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also extended his support to the arrested journalist.

“Altnews & @zoo_bear have been in the forefront of exposing the bogus claims of the Vishguru, who has struck back with a vengeance characteristic of him. Delhi Police, reporting to the Union Home Minister, has long lost any pretensions of professionalism and independence,” he tweeted.

Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore demanded an immediate release of the journalist.

“After 2014, India’s few fact-checking services, especially @AltNews, perform an important service in our post-truth political environment rife with disinformation and lies,” he said.

“They debunk falsehoods whoever perpetrates them. Now it’s Co founder arrested by Delhi police under Shah. To arrest @zoo_bear is a blunder by DelhiPolice. He should be released immediately,” he tweeted.

Kathmandu: Sale of Pani Puri has been banned in Kathmandu Valley’s Lalitpur Metropolitan City as cholera cases have spiked in the Valley with 12 people testing positive.

The Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC) on Saturday decided to stop the sale and distribution of Pani Puri in the metropolis, claiming that cholera bacteria were found in the water used in Pani Puri.

The metropolis has made internal preparations to stop the sale of Panipuri in the crowded areas and in the corridor area, stating that there is an increased risk of spreading cholera in the Valley, according to Municipal Police Chief Sitaram Hachethu.

With seven more people tested positive for Cholera in the Kathmandu Valley, the total number of cholera patients has reached 12 in the Valley, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

According to Chumanlal Dash, director at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Health Ministry, five cases of Cholera have been identified in Kathmandu Metropolis, and one each in Chandragiri Municipality and Budhanilkantha Municipality.

The infected are currently undergoing treatment at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital at Teku. Earlier, five cases of Cholera were found in different parts of the capital city. The two of the infected people have already been treated and discharged.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has urged the people to visit their nearest health facility immediately if they experience any symptoms of cholera.

The ministry has requested everyone to be alert and vigilant as diarrhea, cholera and other water-borne diseases are spreading especially during summer and rainy season.

London: England’s World Cup winning skipper Eoin Morgan is set to announce his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday after a career spanning 16 years during which he amassed over 10,000 runs across ODIs and T20Is.

According to a report in Sky Sports, the 35-year-old Dublin-born Morgan wanted to lead England at this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia but he had a change of heart after struggling with his form and fitness in the last 18 months.

Morgan captained England in the first two ODI games against the Netherlands this month but failed to open his account on both the occasion. He subsequently missed the third game due to a groin niggle.

Vice-captain Jos Buttler is likely to replace him as England skipper and the upcoming white-ball series against India could be his first assignment.

Morgan made his debut for Ireland in 2006 but then after three years he switched his alliance to England in 2009.

The elegant left-handed batter, who played in the middle-order, has so far scored 7,701 runs from 248 ODIs, after making his debut against Scotland.

He also featured in 115 T20 matches, amassing 2,458 runs, after making his debut in the format for England against the Netherlands in 2009.

The soft-spoken Morgan also featured in 16 Tests but managed to score only 700 runs and played his last Test in 2012 against Pakistan.

However, Morgan’s legacy will be defined by his seven and a half year rein as England’s limited over captain during which the team rose to the number one position in the world rankings in both ODI and T20 cricket.

He had taken over the reins of ODI captaincy from Sir Alastair Cook before the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia-New Zealand and played a key part in revolutionizing the team’s cricket after their shock group stage exit in the quadrennial event.

Morgan along with then coach Trevor Bayliss breathed a fresh air into the English side, which encouraged the players to play a fearless brand of cricket, which eventually led them to win the World Cup in 2019 in their own back-yard.

His other achievements include leading his side to the final of the T20 2016 World Cup the semi-finals of the 2021 edition of the tournament.

Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray

Karjat (Maharashtra): Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed 15 to 20 Shiv Sena MLAs who have joined the rebel camp are in touch with him and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati, where they are lodged in a hotel along with Cabinet minister Eknath Shinde whose rebellion has pushed the MVA government into a major crisis.

Addressing Shiv Sena workers in Karjat, on outskirts of Mumbai, Thackeray, who has been doing firefighting to save the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, said every party worker is seeing the current situation as an opportunity and not as a problem.

The dirt has gone away. Now we can do something good, Thackeray said, referring to the rebel MLAs.

The Shiv Sena leader, the son of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, said before the June 21 revolt there were murmurs that some developments will take place in the party, which heads the MVA that also comprises of the NCP and the Congress.

A majority of the Sena MLAs, including nine ministers, have rebelled against the party, threatening the existence of the two-and-a-half-year old government.

The Sena has claimed some legislators have been kidnapped or forcibly taken by the rebel camp.

Around 15-20 MLAs are in touch with us. They call me and Shiv Sainiks and urged us to bring them back from Guwahati, he said.

Their situation is like a prisoner, first in Surat (where the rebels landed after leaving Mumbai last week) and then in Guwahati, he said.

Shinde has claimed the support of more than three dozen Sena MLAs out of the total 55.

Slamming the Sena strongman from Thane without taking his name, Thackeray said some leaders were blindly trusted and the sad part is such people were promoted in the organization continuously.

He said the MLAs leaving the parties was like “cleaning the ‘nullahs’ and garbage before the onset of monsoon”.

Jaipur: The Rajasthan BJP on Monday hit out at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for accusing his former deputy Sachin Pilot of being involved in a conspiracy to dislodge the Congress government in the state.

Former state deputy chief minister Pilot and 18 MLAs close to him had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020, triggering a political crisis in the state.

Gehlot had on Saturday said Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s recent remarks over the rebellion against him two years ago prove that he in connivance with Pilot tried to topple the state government.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria claimed that Gehlot is annoyed by the fact that Pilot enjoys widespread public support.

“Sachin Pilot has the support of the people while Gehlot and (parliamentary affairs minister Shanti) Dhariwal do not. Gehlot wants to throw him out so that he can rule like an autocrat,” he said.

Kataria’s deputy Rajendra Rathore called Pilot Neelkanth (the one with a blue throat), which is another name of Lord Shiva, who consumed a deadly poison for the benefit of living beings.

“Rajasthan’s CM and his ministers are crossing the limits of politics of insult. I would like to thank Sachin Pilot for his patience, who was sometimes called useless and sometimes a conspirator, Rathore told reporters in Bharatpur.

He has become Neelkanth. But when Neelkanth spews poison, an earthquake comes. When will that earthquake hit the Congress, I don’t know,” Rathore said, adding that Pilot’s patience should not be tested.

Has anyone stopped the chief minister from taking action against Pilot if he allegedly tried to topple the government in the state? Ever since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has praised Pilot for his patience, the Rajasthan chief minister has become restless. Gehlot is only worried about saving his chair, he added.

Shekhawat had said at a meeting in Chomu town of Jaipur that Pilot missed the opportunity and had the government changed, water would have reached state areas through the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.